A Doctor in Your House

There's a wealth of health information on the Web. But which sites want to educate you, and which just want to sell products? Actually, a lot do both. We review the top sites and let you know what to look out for.

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We've got to say it: A visit to a medical Web site is no substitute for a visit to a physician. But when you're dealing with an illness or facing a medical procedure, medical sites can help you research your condition, learn about treatments and clinical trials, connect with other patients and experts, and take better charge of your recovery. If you're well, the healthy-living information conveyed by many of these sites can help you stay that way.

"For nonmedical people, the key to using these sites is to have trusted physicians they can talk things over with," says Dr. Zach Rosen, medical director of the Montefiore Family Health Center in New York City. "Go to the site, print out the subject matter you're researching, and bring it into your doctor's office the next time you go."

The ten Web sites reviewed here fall into three broad categories: general-purpose sites (like InteliHealth and MedicineNet.com), sites with a celebrity focus (drkoop.com and drSpock.com), and electronic implementations of standard home reference works (Merck and PDR.net). Most sites are free, but at some, the ads outweigh the info. Nonetheless, there's a wealth of health on the Web.

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About the Author

Craig Stinson is a contributing editor of PC Magazine. Stinson writes about decision-support, personal productivity, reference, and educational software. He is the author or coauthor of more than fifteen books on Windows and Excel, including The Windows 2000 Expert Companion and Excel Version 2002 Inside Out (both from Microsoft Press).

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